European Draft Data Law Announced

What you need to know

The proposed draft Data Protection Regulation were revealed by the European Commission. The document includes many suggestions like the right to be forgotten which will allow users to have their photos, details, and other data removed from websites, social networks, and search engines. Also serious violations, such as processing data without the individual’s consent, would be fined up to €1 million or 2 percent of their global annual turnover.

The current Data Protection Directive had to be implemented into the legal system of Europe’s 27 member states. This led to all countries having the same framework, but some legal systems having stronger and more protective rules than others. Germany’s data protection laws have the same elements as every other European country, but are far stricter than the ‘lenient’ UK’s laws, as an example.

The new Data Protection Regulation is a ‘one-size-fits-all’ legal instrument, and removes the need for member states to interpret the laws. It also makes way for better cross-border data transfers between European countries, and will save around €2.3 billion ($3.1bn) each year in ‘administrative’ costs.

The new Criminal Justice Directive will cover all matters pertaining to law enforcement, investigation, detection, or prosecution of criminal offences.